bat1 lau4 ji3不留意
Jyutpingbat1 lau4 ji3
Yalebāt làuh yi
Definition
To not pay attention; without noticing.
colloquialdaily actionsdescriptions
How it's used
Focuses on the lack of attention or awareness toward a specific event or object. It is frequently used to explain why someone made a mistake or failed to notice something right in front of them. Unlike formal written Chinese, it is the standard way to express this concept in casual conversation.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 唔小心, which means to be careless or clumsy. While 唔留意 refers specifically to a lapse in observation or focus, 唔小心 implies a lack of caution that leads to a physical accident or error.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
